1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to surgery and, more particularly, pertains to an electrode for acute, chronic, and post-operative conditions to alleviate pain and enhance motor control of an individual such as through a TENS.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art electrodes have failed to meet the medical needs of individuals in not providing a stimulating electrode which provides for electrical distribution of current as well as a personal comfort factor of distribution of electrical current.
The prior art stimulating electrodes have been rather complex, bulky, molded, non-flexible devices which have been less than comfortable for use by the individual patient, and in addition have provided less than equal current distribution resulting in hot or burn spots on the individual's skin from the electrode stimulation.
The prior art electrodes have been large rubber-type devices being non-flexible and having a high profile, especially noticeable under an individual's clothing, and have detracted from the medicinal purpose and benefit of the stimulating electrode. Due to the non-flexibility and bulkiness, the stimulation electrodes tend to pull away from the skin requiring adhesives of maximum adherence, thereby causing irritation and a non-comfort factor to the individual's skin. To further compound the problem, the electrodes, which tend to pull away and lift from the skin, inherently contribute to the condition by increasing the current densities at higher densities at the individual skin touching points, causing what is known in the art as "hot spots."
The prior art electrodes have failed to meet the needs of the post-operative, chronic and acute pain applications. The prior art electrodes are usually bulky, molded silicone rubber loaded with a carbon resulting in an electrode which is thicker, less flexible, and of a high impedance. In addition, the potential distribution of the electrode from the conductor drops off as a function of distance square from the point of contact to the periphery of the electrode.
The present invention overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art electrodes by providing an electrode which is low profile, includes a backing of adhesive insulator material providing for adhesion to the surface of the individual's skin, a combination of polymer film material with a metallized layer, is very flexible and very low profile whereby the metallized layer thereby provides a finite impedance for equalized current distribution. The equalized current distribution also provides for least amount of energy usage.